Sunday, April 18, 2010

Plotinsky's Title Shot

Mariano Plotinsky (16-3, 8 KOs) is getting his first shot at a world championship this Saturday. The Argentine native, who is 35 years old, will battle WBO light heavyweight champion, Jürgen Brähmer (35-2, 28 KOs), in Hamburg, Germany.

It was reported back in January that Brähmer, who has previously served time in prison, was sentenced to 16 months in jail. What became of that sentence, I do not know. For what it's worth, Brähmer is ranked #3 in FightNews's light heavyweight rankings and BoxRec has him rated as the 8th best light heavyweight in the world. His last two bouts were victories against previously undefeated men. Coincidently, one of Brähmer's losses came against Plotinsky's co-nationalist, Hugo Hernan Garay, a unanimous decision back in 2008.

In addition to avoiding jail time despite an apparent conviction, German fighters seem to receive certain hometown benefits in the ring. Plotinsky, however, is familiar with fighting in Germany. His last two contests, both wins, took place there. This weekend, he hopes to continue that trend against his champion southpaw opponent.

To fight in Germany, of course, you have to get there. With the cloud of ash- that spewed out of a volcano in Iceland last week- hovering over Europe, flights across the Atlantic to Europe have been canceled. That has made getting to Germany a dicey proposition for Plotinsky thus far.